Two gentlemen visit Omaha Beach, it was powerful to watch them. The cliffs, ocean’s edge, bunkers of Hitler’s army, the harrowing obstacles that the Forces needed to pass to storm the beach

Many of you know I recently returned from Europe. One long and powerful day we dedicated to Normandy, the beaches- Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword (these entry points along the Normandy, France coast in the English Channel, all code-named by generals planning the assault). When you see these beaches, and take time to absorb the whole story, you change. Our ordinary, everyday lives are a gift. At Memorial Day we honor the fallen. At Veterans Day we honor the living. But everyday and especially on a day like today, the anniversary of a defining moment in our history, D-Day, American soldiers are wearing their nation’s uniform to protect and defend us. We should remember them everyday.

One of those beaches, Omaha is of course named after the city in Nebraska, where many members of my family were part of the ‘greatest generation.’ This trip was personal!

Let us set the stage, with the help of the D-Day Museum in Caen, France:

Hitler was dreaming large. After a thumping during WWI, he sat quietly dreaming up the way he would execute a plan to colonize ALL of Europe. First he exterminated the local population. He would rule the Reich from ‘Germainia”, the world’s largest city. Once his plan went into action, all of Europe would be terrorized.

The new ‘Germania’ would change the face of Europe. He ordered globes be redesigned to reflect his conquests.

Hitler’s planned cleansing and colonization of Europe required a change to the globe. Here, women work to remake the face of the world.

Hitler was cleansing his lands of the Jews, felt to be too rich and too dangerous for his plan; the handicapped; mentally challenged; gypsies; homosexuals. They were rounded up and killed or sent to work camps.

Poland, Austria, France, Germany… Hitler’s march continued

These are some dreadful nurses. They helped in the conquest by running the euthanasia of up to an estimated 80-90,000 mentally and physically disabled people starting in 1939

Hitler’s appetite for terror was vast, and his armies supported that. To the left in this picture, is a sample of the Star he forced the Jewish people to wear.

Once Hitler’s armies stormed into France, and began to wreak havoc there, the Allied Generals knew there was precious time to waste stopping his crusade to cleanse and conquer. Hitler was making too much progress too fast. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied Forces in Europe began planning the invasion at Normandy, France. The invasion would involve sending more than 150,000 troops to land along a 60-mile stretch of beach on the northern French coastline within 24 hours. The beaches, across the English Channel from England, were code-named (Juno, Sword, Omaha, Gold) and the ‘largest logistical operation ever’ was planned in secret. 5 million tons of military supplies and equipment needed to be moved. Supplies of food, ammo, clothing, medical supplies and more needed transport there. Further, a second front needed to be created forcing Nazi Germany to defend against American, British, Canadian and French troops. Patriotism was high, enlistment soared, and overnight, long-held military strategies were turned upside down. This was an impossible operation.

The cliffs, ocean’s edge, bunkers of Hitler’s army, the harrowing obstacles that the Forces needed to pass to storm the beach

The English Channel was rough and difficult to navigate. The cliffs at the shores were tall and mean. Further, Nazi troops were waiting on top of those cliffs. The Nazi’s had filled the shoreline with dangerous obstacles and mines, as preparedness early in the occupation. They had bunkers, an underground system, everything they needed up there to defend against the oncoming troops. The Nazi’s just didn’t know that Eisenhower’s troops were on the way.

Granite bunkers housed dozens of Nazi’s at a time. Watchposts were created. As far as Hitler was concerned his troops were secure.

The cliffs, ocean’s edge, bunkers of Hitler’s army, the harrowing obstacles that the Forces needed to pass to storm the beach

Ranger Lt. Col. James Rudder, a native Texan, led the 2nd Ranger Battalion in capturing and neutralizing the German coastal battery here. The French will always be thankful that they were liberated by the heroism of the Rangers, and the forces who followed.

Not one thing has been changed at these landings since the Normandy invasion. It has been preserved as hallowed ground since 1944. The French gave up land to America after the war as thanks for liberating France and Europe. A joint group of French/American providers maintain the landing beaches.

Homes like this in Pointe de Hoc, France were raided and overtaken by Nazi troops.

The memorial on this church shows the destruction the town near the landing incurred. It’s easy to think of the D- Day Invasion as a short event, but it was only the beginning assault that would last into months.

Hitler’s troops took over homes and sent villagers running.

This is what the French countryside looked like before the Nazi troops invaded. Bucolic villages dedicated to agriculture and cheese production

The inhabitants before Hitlers troops arrived, and the current inhabitants. It took 4 years for the villages along the coast to recover after the defeat of Hitler. Everything was rebuilt exactly and hasn’t changed since

Mindful that bombing raids were being conducted all over Europe by the Nazi’s, in Hitler’s grand scheme of going ‘large’, this beach landing was a critical movement for the Allies. On the night of the launch, the trip across the English Channel to Normandy was harrowing. 10-foot waves, and a large storm slowed the progress of the troops. The water was rough. Troops were seasick, and silently afraid. An armada of 5,000 ships with 1,000 fighter planes overhead emerged off Normandy pre-dawn. The largest airborne force ever assembled- 20,000 men- dropped on Normandy by glider and parachute. The landing craft took soldiers to shore.

That first morning 10,000 souls were lost. An immediate makeshift cemetery was put in place to lay the 10,000 men. Husbands, brothers, sons, nephews lost their lives in the treacherous landing. The story of that day is told well in the movies, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. I recommend both movies about our ‘Greatest Generation’, and the landings at Normandy.

In 1948 the process of moving the bodies from the beach cemetery to a permanent place of internment began. The French gave the Americans land at St. Laurent to create a national cemetery. It is a beautiful place on the edges of the coast, waves crashing below.

American flags fly on the beach and near the hallowed cemetery grounds.

Christians and Muslims were given crosses. Jewish soldiers were given The Star of David.

Many of the dead could not be identified, but they were given markers.

At Omaha beach memorials were created that a million visitors pass every year. We walked the beach also, and looked around in awe- such quiet beauty. It was the scene of one of the most important assaults of WWII and the fight against Hitler. Right here!

The beaches have never been developed. They will remain sacred ground.

As another fine example of what you should do with the photos from your latest vacation or from your camera phone, or from the shoebox of photos you’ve collected and have done nothing with- Here it is!

Nothing is more appealing to me than to take a card from your camera; say ‘give us a week’; and turn around your photos in a beautiful and enhanced way.

THEN we will come up with a plan together to put them into action: as art in your own home.

I design wall albums and wall art as keepsakes of your life.

The best part is that I do the sorting through sometimes hundreds of photos and make sense of it all for you. #youwillnotgetoverwhelmed.

Here is a sample of what I am working on for a client. She forwarded 125 photos from her wedding to me. Her issue is that they were all bad, foggy, unfocused, dark, ugg.

She had never made an album, didn’t have a single photo hanging in her home. Now it was her anniversary and wanted something really beautiful to present to her husband.

Enter me.

I sorted through her photos in the box she delivered to the studio. This is where I am headed for her.

This photo is her original. AS a matter of fact, the church burned down and no longer exists, adding to the sentimental nature of the photo

This is how I resized and improved the photo into fine art worthy of hanging on a wall.

I have provided this to her to make some choices of the final product. Her photos turned into fine art by me, the NINJA

The above photos is the series of samples I gave her. I sharpened the focus, taking her guesswork about what to do away. I sampled and priced her options. All she has to do is determine which look and which price she desires.

DONE!! In 10 days in time for her anniversary.

I will brag a little. I am a ninja when it comes to creating fine art! I have been doing this for clients for 15 years. I use heart and alot of thought before anything is sampled to my clients. I ship FEDEX, I have easy ways for you to send your photos to me from anywhere in the world. I am also a fine art photographer. Visit my studio link.

Just blink your eyes, and she goes from being two in Mothers’ Day Out to an 18-year old Sorority pledge in a heartbeat!

I love my daughter, sweet Katy and my moments with her are my favorites. I learned quickly to jump off the clown car of life and take time to savor what little time God has given me to be around her energy and her smile.

Being busy robs of us of our memories- literally. I guess that keeps me in business: nearly every mom I encounter looking to have a family session says the same thing, ” Our schedule is chaos. I will call you when we all find a zip code that we can be together in!” Consequently, I photograph plenty of families who meet each other coming and going! And the testimonials are very similar, ” Thank you for taking a snapshot of this moment in time- we almost missed it”.

I just read a post from a blogger, Susan Merrill (www.susanme.com) who gave a really thought-provoking summary of what we should be making time for with our daughters before time steals them away to their lives. I am giving you the link to her post, “Mother Daughter Bucket List”

If you are of the same mind as we are, give it a read. It’s a good Friday project:)

It’s time to shop for the most important photographer that you’ll need until your wedding day!

We just wanted to tell you a little about the studio. Because we would like to earn your trust and your business.

Photographer In The Family is a Roanoke studio, and we’ve been here for 14 years. We work in a studio and OUT of the studio. We go urban, to places like Deep Ellum,. We go country to places like ranches. We go where you want to be.

We love to meet seniors in Keller, Southlake, Fort Worth and Dallas. Actually, selecting a location for your portraits is serious to us, and we take great steps to choose just the right place to tell your story. When you jump on board, you are our number one priority, and you know it immediately.

We thought you’d like to learn a little about us, so please click on the website to get to know us too. It’s going to be a beautiful relationship, and we still have two Saturday spots available in August!!

Everything is bigger in Texas, and our bursting state pride is no exception! But no matter how deep in our hearts we hold the Lonestar State, we never quite understand how DEEP until we’re suddenly standing next to a couple o’ folks ordering their steak…well done????!

Chances are many of your kids will be going to college out-of-state; so as Texans, we must band together and prepare for that defining moment when it suddenly hits them- God Blessed Texas. After all, not much can beat a day savoring your ‘Texan-ness’ at the Fort Worth Stockyards, the Mesquite rodeo, or Babe’s Chicken House.

With the rustic colors of raw wood and expansive plains, we can capture the true Texas spirit in your senior. Picture your college-bound teen beneath the Leddy’s Boots sign, boasting every cowboy & cowgirl’s most prized possession- those worn out boots! Or perhaps they are more in touch with nature, posted up beside a brushed white fence, watching the Herd. Maybe we keep closer to home, (yours) and hit the pasture with his very own horse. No matter what Texas-sized idea you have in mind, you just hang your hat and let us do the designing. We specialize in creating art- your art. We have the eye.

We promise you’ll get a unique experience and take home memories and wall art you’ll adore for years. They may never live in Texas again, but there’s no reason you can’t remind them ‘If it wasn’t for Texas….”

Visit our website to see what we like to do with a senior portrait session, Texas-style. You will see our scrumptious galleries for guys and gals, investigate Investment, and learn How To.

I ran into a friend on Wednesday. We started to chat and discuss the upcoming move of her son and daughter-in-law to another state, (a.k.a another planet, as far as a grandmother is concerned). I listened to her express her anxieties about the impact this was having. She is worried about so many things which distance from them is going to create. But most worrisome, she said her biggest fear is that her grandchild would forget her , and his grandfather.

I haven’t been able to get her off my mind this week.

With our mobile society grandparents are experiencing this so frequently. I feel badly for my friend, but want to encourage her.

I personally know about this concern! We were the daughter-in-law and son who moved VERY far away from home… and taking the grandchildren from new grandparents. It happened to us years ago, and in the course of years we added three more babies who were born Texans, not Nebraskans. Instantly we knew when we got the assignment in Texas that this would have consequences on my husband’s parents. And it was important to us to ensure that our baby WOULD ALWAYS TRULY KNOW, LOVE AND STAY BONDED with his out-of-state grandparents. As Nike says, “just do it”. And from day one, those distant grandparents stayed front of mind to our growing clan.

So that’s the first thing….. your son or daughter is mindful of the distance they’ve created with their move away. Please be assured that they understand that it will be a lifelong mission to make sure their baby stays close to his or her grandparents. This attachment (grandparent and grandchild) forms naturally and is a bond that’s important to everyone involved and is meant to last a lifetime. This bond is real with or without time together!

I have googled a bit on the subject. I have found some very good information on the mechanics of staying close.

With a little ingenuity and alot of diligence, the distance becomes easier. Down the road, it will always be a concern how to connect with those grand babies, but it can get easier.

Grandparenting.Org has a good article on long-distance grandparenting. This is not uncharted territory, so let some expert advice help you. Let technology be your friend! Lot’s of terrific tips are available here. Be sure to install FaceTime to your phones; put SKYPE on your computer. Use it to read those little ones storybooks, play word games, and give mom a rest while you babysit ‘virtually’.

I found another article on Psychology Today. It’s full of ideas you may not even have thought of on how to keep in close touch with the grand babies. There is nothing wrong with planning a little vaca with the kids, and who doesn’t love to visit them at home once-in-awhile?

Anyway, this one’s for you my friend. I understand your trauma. I also have a grandson who doesn’t live in my town. He’s small, but I can guarantee that he is unique, wonderful and can look forward to me being there for all of his life’s grand moments, and a bunch of little ones in between.

In my brain I am still a fairly young grandma, let’s get my vanity (or my own self-deception) out of the way! Actually, when I graduated from college, the thing to do was marry quickly. Times have changed! Some kids approaching 30 these days have no desire to tie-the-knot just yet! SO, when I became a mom at 24 my path to young ‘grandma-hood’ was set!

Bottom line- I have alot of energy and am delighted to share it with my grand babies.

It’s Saturday. The skies are beautiful. The weather is primo. Gotta be outside.

Let’s get out of the house for awhile with Grandma

PHOTO HUNT TIME!!

Take them on a photo hunt. Engage their imaginations. Settle on a theme. Start hunting!

Stay in the neighborhood or explore The Stockyards!

Here are some theme suggestions:

“Photograph anything Red.”

“Photograph anything Starting With the Letter C”

“Photograph Things in A Store”

“Photograph Wildflowers”

Keep the safari focused on them- and on having fun. Even a two-year old is a pro holding an Iphone. This works for the entire age-spectrum.

A two-year old is already a pro with an IPhone

I think you’ll be amazed how much fun they’ll have, because after all, being with you is part of the excitement. Capture your selfies along the way! AND for pete’s sake, back up the photos from all of your photo safaries– one day the whole compilation will be as valuable as GOLD!

It comes up immediately in a booking conversation….’where will my session take place?’. That’s where I am a pro. I will really get to know you and your style before I commit a location for our session. I ask lots of questions, so be prepared for that. It’s all in the process of getting to know you- because if I don’t do THAT, nothing about the session will be memorable for you. I have a number of locations around Ft. Worth- as this city is the gift that keeps on giving as for scenic and interesting nooks and crannies. I usually like to keep those addresses to myself, but I am going to start talking!

Today, here is a sample of what has happened at the Fort Worth Stockyards…. a very popular spot for my clients! This will give you a feel for how we can use the area to tell your story!

This thought means more to me on Mothers’ Day than most days in the year. And even more so this year. I am a mother, and a grandmother to one sweet baby girl (I know, dating myself!) and my first grandson is due this Mothers’ DAY. Oh, the emotions are high.

You see, I’m lucky enough to have had an ENERGETIC AND FANTASTIC grandmother. Oh my I loved that woman and she breathed such life into the family;

a mother from whom I inherited half of the genes that would SHAPE me into who I am today and who LOVED ME AND WAS HANDS-DOWN MY BEST FRIEND, (we shared everything, from my silly broken hearts, to my own motherhood, her funny little ways- we blamed it on being Bohemian lol, to all the crazy and zany);

and an aunt (7 years older than me- we played Barbies together, and have been thick as thieves ever since, a week doesn’t go by we haven’t talked) who feels more like my sister. I don’t have sisters (only fantastic brothers) who gave me that unique relationship that transcends all your other relationships.

So you see I have matriarchs- I am a lucky girl.

My grandmother and mother are gone now, but what tangible thing do I still have left of them? My memories most certainly are there! But the question is ‘ what do I have to hold onto?’

I have photos.

My photos help me to remember. They cause me to think about stories I may have forgotten. I have hundreds of imperfect pictures in albums, boxes and set about the house. They are tangible- I can hold them in my hands. Just like I will soon hold the hand of that sweet new grandson. They are a treasure.

My mother inspired so many things in my brothers and I

My mother held me with that adoring feeling to me that I felt when I held my own babies

My mother was in Verdun France with my Dad when he was in the army. They drove this cute little Volkswagon. I am sure she was pregnant with me when these were taken

This is my exquisitely perfect grandmother who I adored

As an example of her positive outlook on life and her family, she was always smiling, and always had fun up her sleeve. Family sing-a-longs at her organ probably rocked her world

AND THIS is my aunt! She is a special gift given to me and my grandmother is responsible. We were so close in age we played together. She tells me that my being born, thus making her an aunt at seven, was a highlight of elementary school!

The mothers that made my life complete.

My photos are my archive, the treasure to which I refer.

They illustrate where my life came from, how it started, continued and will certainly finish one day.

SO when you, mom, are darting away from IPhone range because you’re not dressed right, or you feel fat please don’t! Let them take your picture! Or, if you are the one who always has the camera, as I am, please hand it to someone and have them turn that camera on you.

Long after you are gone and your children become the stewards of the family’s stories your snapshots and photos will remain. They will truly become the treasures that your granddaughters hold dear. Make sure there are photos of you to hold onto!!!

They will live forward, speaking across generations saying, “I was here. I mattered to someone. I left a footprint. I started the story of you.”

I love keeping my “Out takes’ and “Just For Fun’ AKA BLOOPERS galleries fresh. It shows that a session can be:

1:FUN

2: Human!! Yep, hair flies, dogs get loose and jump in the lake, toddlers take off running!! but thats’ how we roll here. This does not, I repeat, NOT stress us out! It’s part of the game of capturing your moment in time. It’s just fun.

We keep it light, enjoy you alot, and still turn out the ‘perfecto’ take away

Family Sessions at Photographer In The Family- always entertaining but totally professional!

It’s a great day when she turns one and is turned loose on her cake as a sugar rite-of-passage! I am not the mom, who may be cringing at the first dose of sugar consumption for little Brooke! So therefore, as her photographer I can stand back and smile as Brooke goes headlong into the project.

These pretty pictures are straight from the camera. I will check back with our finished artwork when we have finished them.

Happy Birthday Brooke!

Please visit my website, to see what other small delights happen around the studio and out on location:)